The morning sun had climbed higher, filtering through the dusty glass of the convenience store. Its weak light did little to warm the survivors; tension hung in the air thicker than the smell of blood.
Taro coughed, curling against the counter with his arm wrapped around his ribs. Daichi busied himself checking weapons, silent as always. Kenji hovered, twitchy and pale, glancing between everyone like a mouse waiting for the cat to pounce.
But the real storm was brewing between the two girls.
Saya clung to Imura, her small frame pressed tight against his side, her blouse still rumpled from the night before. Her wide brown eyes flickered with something new—envy. She stared at Rin with a mixture of fear and insecurity, chewing at her lower lip.
Rin sat across from them, her gray eyes sharp as knives. Her blouse still clung to her damp skin, the faint outline of her bra visible beneath. Her lips—swollen from last night's kiss—pressed into a hard line as she refused to look at Saya.
The silence stretched, crackling with unspoken words.
Finally, Saya broke it.
"Why… why do you keep looking at him like that?" Her voice was trembling but louder than before, desperate and raw. "He's mine…"
Rin's head snapped toward her, gray eyes burning. "Yours? Don't make me laugh. He doesn't belong to anyone."
Saya flinched but held tighter to Imura's sleeve. "You don't understand… he saved me. He's the only reason I'm alive… I can't live without him!"
Rin's lip curled into a mocking smirk. "Then you're pathetic. Do you even realize how weak that makes you? Depending on him like a child clinging to her father?"
Saya's eyes shimmered with tears. Her voice cracked as she shouted:
"At least I'm honest! You're the pathetic one—pretending you don't need him while your whole body shakes every time he touches you!"
Rin froze.
Her face flushed crimson, chest heaving, but she had no words. Her thighs pressed together, betraying her despite her glare.
Imura chuckled low in his throat, watching them like a predator observing prey caught in the same net. "Interesting," he drawled, his voice cutting through their argument. "So… both of you are fighting over me?"
Saya turned toward him instantly, eyes pleading. "N-No! I'm not fighting… I just… I just don't want her to take you away from me…"
Rin's pride flared, her gray eyes snapping to his. "Don't flatter yourself. I don't fight for anyone."
Imura leaned forward, brushing a hand along Saya's trembling cheek, making her whimper softly at the touch. "Saya… you really think she could take me from you?"
Her head shook violently. "N-No! You're mine… you promised…"
The system pulsed.
[Bond Progression: Saya → Jealous Attachment ↑↑]
Imura's gaze slid toward Rin, his smirk widening. "And you… still pretending? Even after last night?"
Rin stiffened, her chest rising sharply with each breath. "That… that didn't mean anything…"
"Didn't it?" Imura whispered, crossing the space between them. His hand slid to her thigh, fingers pressing lightly into her skin. Rin's body trembled instantly, her lips parting in a silent gasp.
Saya's voice broke, tears running down her cheeks. "S-Stop touching her like that…!"
Imura's eyes gleamed. He tilted Rin's chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Say it," he whispered. "Say you don't want this."
Her gray eyes shook violently. Her lips parted… but no words came.
The system chimed again.
[Bond Progression: Rin → Dependent Desire ↑↑↑↑↑]
Imura released her, turning back to Saya, who was crying openly now, clutching at his sleeve like she might be ripped away. He brushed his thumb across her tears, smiling darkly.
"You see? Both of you need me. Both of you already belong to me. There's no point fighting over it."
Saya sniffled, pressing her face against his chest. Rin sat frozen, her pride shattered, her body still burning where his hand had touched her.
Imura leaned back, satisfied. The threads of jealousy, desire, and dependency had tangled perfectly. Now, all he had to do was pull.